It’s a grand old team…

It was definitely a Blue Christmas for one young Everton fan – after she dyed her hair in the Club’s colours in aid of Everton in the Community.

Lifelong supporter Hannah Stone made the decision to change hair colour to suit that of her beloved Blues as a gesture of thanks to the Club’s official charity’s disability football programme, of which her cousin Ethan has been a participant of the Cerebral Palsy team for the past 12 months.

Hannah exhibited and explained her new look to a number of Everton’s first team stars at the Boxing Day fixture against Sunderland including Ross Barkley, Steven Naismith and John Stones.

And the fundraising 23-year-old has a specific target she is desperate to reach.

“I want to raise a grand for the Grand Old Team,” she said. “But everything counts, no matter how big or small.

“I’m dying my hair blue first and foremost to raise people’s awareness of how much Everton in the Community do for all the kids who playfootball in their disability teams.

“They give kids the chance to just play football, which is what they love and I want to say thanks. I’ve got a family member who was given a chance to play football and I’ve seen him and all his teammates at Everton in the Community, and I am so proud of every single one of them.

“I think everyone involved deserves all the credit in the world.”

The Everton faithful can help Hannah reach her target by donating here.

Hannah’s employers, Santander, have even offered to match the money raised from her fundraising to the tune of £700.

And if her target is achieved, Hannah has made an Everton-related choice to mark the occasion.

“If I reach my target, I want to get a ‘Nil Satis Nisi Optimum’ tattoo,” she said. “Although with Roberto now in charge it might have to be ‘Solo lo Mejor’!

“Everyone has been really supportive of my idea and I would really like to thank Santander, Hannah McLellan from the Junior Fans’ Forum who helped spread the word for me, and my hairdresser,

Maxine Murphy, who donated the cost-price of dying my hair to the fundraising pot.”

Everton in the Community is proud to have the largest and most respected disability football programme in the world, with over 10,000football opportunities for disabled children and adults delivered each year.

For further information on the life-changing work carried out by the disability staff and coaches of Everton in the Community, click here.